Maybe A Date
by odalys-ortiz
Summary: While working another case with John, Carter has a few questions. One of which is why she feels differently when she's with the vigilante instead of a safer option. John/Joss pairing as always.


Disclaimer: None of the property belongs to me, as much as I love this ship. I just want to squeeze them so much.

* * *

Maybe A Date

Joss wouldn't ever really consider herself 'that' kind of girl. She was not one that went to extreme lengths to make sure that she looked good before she went out to have a fun night out with the girls. She had plenty of her reasons for this. Her job as a homicide detective didn't allow her the luxury of being fussy, except for maybe the usual Saturday off. Even then, she would find herself too exhausted from the week to do anything but clean up and drop into bed.

It was all the same routine for her. Then again, that was before she met her vigilante. John had come into her life and singlehandedly turned everything on its head. It seemed like things had been nothing but chaotic since the day she agreed to join him and Harold in their crusade.

Tonight had been no different. Instead of spending a cozy evening buried underneath her favorite blanket watching a movie, she was ducking behind some concrete support for cover from the bullets whizzing by her head. She had come to this abandoned warehouse with John after he got a tip that this was where a new gang was having meetings and recruiting members.

The gang members that were there had opened fire as soon as they spotted them, all with handguns. While Joss was behind her cover, John was a few feet away from her, hiding behind a concrete divider. During the lulls in gunfire, Joss would peek her head out. She noticed that their numbers were beginning to dwindle in their favor.

The firefight felt like it was going on for ages, even with the few members that were left. John was using his custom made 9mm while she used her standard issue. Even though she didn't want to admit it to John, she was really enjoying spending time with him, even if it wasn't the most ideal time and place.

Thanks to her many years of practice with firearms, she was able to hit one of the members in the arm, allowing John enough time for his signature knee shot. As she inspected the situation again, she was confused when she noticed that one of the members was missing. She hadn't seen him get taken down.

That's when she got the most unpleasant surprise. The missing man had somehow managed to sneak out of sight and get behind her. Just as John took down the other two men, the guy wrapped an arm tightly around her neck causing her to gasp. The sound was enough to draw John's attention and he aimed his gun at them.

"You better put that gun down buddy. Wouldn't want to accidently hit your girlfriend here, would you?" Instead of surrendering like the guy was expecting, John just scoffed at him as he put the gun back in the band of his pants.

The gang member was stunned. "What the hell are you doing? Aren't you going to beg me not to hurt her or let her go? What kind of boyfriend are you?"

John smirked at him "You really should do a better job at knowing your enemy."

"Why?" He got his answer soon enough when he felt the pain in his wrist. Joss twisted his wrist 180 degrees then dropped him on the floor hard. While he was lying on the floor seeing stars, she just smiled sweetly down at him before replying "Ex-military." He then promptly passed out.

"You okay?" John asked as he walked up to her. He knew that she was more than capable of protecting herself, but he still wanted to ask. He had cared about her for a while now and wanted no harm to come to her.

She was dusting herself off before straightening her clothes. "I'm as good as I'll ever be. Just in a bit of foul mood that the jerk managed to get the drop on me. Thanks for the help and not killing anyone." She then sighed as she examined the scene before her. All the men were flat on their backs. "Looks like I'm going to be busy tonight writing up the report on what happened here."

John then reached out and touched her arm, grabbing her attention. "How about you let Lionel handle this and I take you out someplace to eat?" Joss was about to object when her stomach loudly decided to chime in. She blushed lightly in embarrassment and turned her head away from him so he wouldn't see. "I take it you haven't eaten all day right?" he asked.

"I ate a salad for lunch." It was pointless to argue. There was no way that the small bit that she had eaten would have satisfied her for the rest of the day. That didn't mean that she cared to admit to John that he was right about her hunger. She hated it when he was right about things; it boosted his ego a notch every time.

She shook her head. "As much as I would like to, I don't think that I can stand anything fancy that'll cost more than a month's salary."

John smirked at her. "Who said anything about fancy or you having to pay?"

She couldn't help but arch an eyebrow at him. "Don't tell me that with how much Finch is paying you that you've never done it fancy?"

He just shrugged his shoulders. She couldn't help but smile at how indifferent he was being at the question. Then again, John Reese tended to be a man of few words. He would usually let his hands and guns do the talking for him.

"Not my thing." She relaxed a little. Her body still had a small bit of adrenaline going through it after the gunfight. She casually stepped over the fallen thug in front of her to follow him out to his car. "So what will it be?" He asked as they exited through the massive door and went to where he had parked.

"I don't know. I wasn't planning on anything big when I got home." The wheels were turning in her head.

John opened the passenger side door first for her. It always surprised her how he could go from taking on a room full of bad guys to being a gentleman. She normally didn't like that sort of thing since she was more than capable of doing things herself. Then again, maybe it was that independence that drove men away from her. For some reason though, she was letting John do these things for her…and she liked it. Joss was surprised to admit that, even to herself.

As she settled into the leather seat, he circled around and got into the driver's side. "Even if I had something in mind, it's not like you can come with me with your reputation and all." She tried to hide the sadness in her voice. Joss didn't enjoy reminding herself of that one problem with John.

Even though she tried, John did notice the sad tone in her voice at the end. He chose to ignore it, figuring it to be his imagination. "It wouldn't have to be the case if you decided on pizza."

She was stumped by the comment. "Why's that?"

"Cause I saved a guy a little while ago who's the owner of a pizza place. He extended a very generous offer to me in gratitude."

"So if I said yes, would this be like a date?" As soon as she said it, she could have smacked herself in the head with a baseball bat. Did she really have to be so blunt about things?

"Let's just call it dinner between two good friends." He started the engine and pulled out of the dirt driveway. As he got on the main road, he spotted a line of cruisers with their sirens blaring just coming from the opposite direction towards the warehouse. "So I'm curious Carter, why didn't you just tell me you wanted pizza?" John gazed over at her, and she just shrugged her shoulders.

"I guess it's because I just thought that it was a stupid thing to say out loud."

"It's just food Carter. Who told you that?"

"It's something that I actually started to realize. I've been on tons of dates since my husband died and guys always try too hard to impress. They take you on this expensive date and it always just ends badly. I thought that maybe Cal would be different because he had invited me out for drinks when we first met. Then he started trying way too hard too."

John was now driving down the main road back towards the city. "Carter, there's nothing wrong with letting yourself get treated once in awhile. You of all people deserve it."

"That's just it John. I can be happy without all of the flair and money. I like just letting my hair down and having a fun time. Then again, I'm probably the only one that thinks that right?"

"I think that you are looking at someone that agrees with you. I never feel comfortable when Finch sends me out to these galas. I hate having to dress up and trying to mingle with a stuck up crowd."

"Good, then I'm in. Let's go to this place that you mentioned." She smiled at him. Joss always loved the way that he could make her happy with a simple gesture of understanding. The smile was guaranteed when he didn't fight her on a decision or delivered her perps right to her desk with minimal injuries. It almost seemed like he went out of his way to make her happy. It could have been just her imagination though. Fusco had a habit of teasing her when he saw them together. She was just glad John and her were able to avoid him this time.

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John pulled up to the place, having no trouble finding a spot to park the car. Getting out, Joss recognized the name on the awning as a place she always wanted to try. "So what's the story?" she asked when John got out from his side.

"Well the owner got in a bit of trouble with some loan sharks. He had borrowed some money because the place had fallen on hard times." He joined her on the sidewalk while she was leaning up against the car. "He managed to pay them back but as with most sharks, they wanted more than what he had. Harold got his number just when the hitman was going to finish the job."

"And now?" She always enjoyed listening to John's misadventures, as much as she disapproved.

"Let's just say that those sharks will think twice before trying to shakedown this place again." John raised his hand, directing her to the front door. When Joss stepped through, she was taken aback by the lively atmosphere. When she did decide to go out, the places she went to were always so quiet and stiff. In here was quite the opposite with most of the enthusiastic patron's attention on the big screen where a baseball game was approaching its 6th inning. They were soon approached by a five foot eight balding Hispanic man who had a huge smile on his face.

He fiercely shook John's hand. "Mr. Reese, it is so good to see you again. I take it that you are taking me up on my offer?" It was then that he noticed Joss. "I see that you brought a date. She is quite the beauty."

She waved her hand dismissively at the comment. "I'm just a friend of his. He was just telling me how you two met Mr…"

"Just call me Matt. Yes, I would be dead now if it hadn't been for Mr. Reese here. Even after offering him whatever he wants for life, I still feel like it isn't enough to express my gratitude. I tried to give him money, but he just wouldn't accept it. Please let me seat you. There is one heck of a game on tonight."

Matt led them through the thick crowd until they finally found a place with two free chairs. "So what would you like? Everything is on the house." John took off his jacket and draped it on the back of the chair.

"I'll let her decide," John said pointing to Joss who was sitting down after doing the same with her jacket.

"Oh, umm…well how about a large with extra cheese, all kinds of meat and mushrooms."

Matt couldn't help but smile. "I like her John. Even though she's a cop, she knows what she wants. I'll be back in a few with some beer for you."

When he left, Joss had to speak loudly over the noise. "How did he know I was a cop?" She had her badge in her pocket.

John leaned forward. "Probably because of the way you dress. He might have seen his fair share of people. Don't take it the wrong way. He still thinks that I'm a fed." She nodded her head in acceptance. Joss allowed her attention to wander to the game. As her head was turned away from him, John took a second to just admire her. This was the first time they had gone out and had fun in a while.

Then again, if his definition of a fun night was applied, earlier tonight would have counted for sure. He watched as she started to relax and began cheering for one of the teams. The drinks came quickly with them toasting on another successful mission. Then came the pizza shortly after. John could see Carter's mouth literally water at the amount of toppings on the pie. When she caught herself with what she was involuntarily doing, Joss burst out laughing.

Matt left and each of them grabbed a slice. It was about as big as John's hand. At the same time, they took a huge bite and the different flavors just hit them. Joss moaned appreciatively, never having anything so delicious.

"Wow, this is much better than the stuff I always order for me and Taylor" she commented after she swallowed her bite.

"Glad you like it" John said.

The whole pizza was gone in a matter of minutes with Joss eating a bit more. She let out a satisfied burp. John found it amusing because she was acting like one of the guys. He could tell she was relaxed and was happy. He was pleased she could be so relaxed with him.

The game soon ended with the team that she was cheering for stealing the victory. Just as they stood up and got their jackets, Joss watched as John slipped a fifty dollar bill under the empty beer bottle. She shot him a questioning but amused gaze.

"He said I didn't have to pay. He didn't say anything about tipping."

_That's just like John_ she thought. He was always finding some sort of loophole in anything. They got their things together and left.

* * *

The trip to Carter's brownstone apartment was quick. She was surprised to see that such a great place had been so close to her and she never knew. She had expected to just say a quick "Goodnight" and hop out of the car, but instead John shut off the engine and got out with her.. "Damn John, now I'm glad that I left Fusco with the paperwork" she commented as they went upstairs.

"Sometimes I feel bad for him. Emphasis on sometimes." It was when they reached her door that things got a tiny bit awkward. Normally after a date, the guy would give her a kiss on the cheek and wish her a good night. Problem was that tonight wasn't a date, so how was she suppose to say good night without sounding dumb?

Joss decided to get it over with so she could get some sleep since she had to work in the morning. "Either way, thanks for your help again. I guess it does pay to have your own personal vigilante at your beck and call."

John gave her one of his signature smirks that caused her body to get quite warm. "Since when have I been at your beck and call Carter?"

She fumbled to get her keys out of her pocket. "It seems like it. You always seem to get there just in time. Then again, I guess it's a part of the job." She hid her face from him, not wanting him to see her disappointment that he didn't do it because he wanted to.

"Whatever you want to think. There's something I want to give you before you go inside."

"It's not another duffel bag of firearms is it?"

John couldn't help but smile at the memory. "It's something a bit more personal than that." When he cradled her face in his large hands, she barely heard the sound of her keys falling to the floor.

John then leaned in and pressed his lips lightly to hers. When he made contact, Joss felt it through her entire body. She tried to recall the last time a kiss made her feel this way, but she couldn't. John then eased her back until she hit the nearby wall. His lips were barely a whisper, but then he surprised her when she felt him trace her lips with his tongue. Her body inadvertently jumped at the action.

When he pulled away, she had to hold back the whimper of protest that threatened to escape her mouth. "What was that?" she whispered.

John reached down and grabbed the discarded keys, then pressed them into her palm. "Now you can call this a date. One that I hope to repeat real soon."

Joss gripped the keys so hard that they could have made an impression in her skin. Granted she had fun tonight, but could she really do it again with John? There were other, safer men out there that were right for her, men like Cal. Then again, they never sparked a fire in her like John did. She measured the pros and cons in her head. Did she want the steady, safe, and boring guy or did she want her wild, reckless vigilante who was a great kisser to boot?

The answer was obvious. "So when's the next number?"

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A/N: Just another little something that I had on the side. Thanks SWWoman for looking over this and I'm happy to have made you laugh at some parts. Enjoy everyone.


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